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How to convert a JPG or PNG image to PDF

Beginner3 minutesUpdated

Quick answer

In Lil Cactus, open your image and choose File then Export then PDF… Replace File name, set Print resolution and click Export. For the 1536 × 1024 px practice photo, 300 ppi produces a landscape PDF page about 130.0 × 86.7 mm, with the original pixel dimensions.

The whole Export as PDF dialog showing the coffee photo, Print resolution 300 ppi and the output summary in its footer
The PDF export is set to 300 ppi: one landscape page about 130 × 87 mm, holding the whole photo.
Time
3 minutes
Level
Beginner
You need
An image open in the editor
Works with
8- and 16-bit images, including JPG, PNG and layered projects
Open the sample in Lil CactusUse your own photo

Free, no sign-up. Your photo stays on your computer.

PDF gives the image a page size. Print resolution is measured in ppi, or pixels per inch: at a fixed pixel count, a higher value makes a smaller page.

Lil Cactus exports the visible design as a flattened image inside the PDF. Use this route for a photo or a design that is ready to share.

Export a photo as PDF in four steps

  1. Open the image

    Open the practice photo from this page. For your own image, choose File then Open… and select a JPG, PNG or another supported image.

    File menu with Open ringed
    Open brings your image into the editor.

  2. Choose File › Export › PDF…

    Choose File then Export then PDF… The Export as PDF dialog opens with a preview and the output controls.

    File Export submenu with PDF ringed
    PDF is under File › Export.

  3. Name the PDF and set its page size

    Replace File name with coffee-photo.pdf. Print resolution starts at the image’s own resolution, 72 ppi for this photo, which would make a page about 54 cm wide. Replace Print resolution with 300 ppi and press Enter to commit it.

    For this sample, the PDF page will be about 130.0 × 86.7 mm. Hover over the size at the bottom left of the dialog to see the page size in millimeters. The embedded image stays at 1536 × 1024 pixels.

    The whole File name field with coffee-photo.pdf, ringed
    Replace the existing file name.
    PDF output controls and footer, with Print resolution 300 ppi and the size summary at the bottom left ringed
    Set the page’s physical size, then hover over the footer summary to read its size in millimeters.

  4. Export and check the PDF

    Click Export. Open the downloaded PDF in a PDF viewer and check that it has one landscape page, with the whole cup and all four edges of the photo visible.

    The whole PDF dialog footer showing 1536 by 1024 pixels, Cancel and the ringed Export button
    The footer confirms the output pixels; Export downloads the PDF.

Make a smaller PDF file

Choose File then Export then PDF… again and replace File name with coffee-photo-small.pdf. Turn on Resize output and set Width to 768 px; Height changes to 512 px to match. Set Print resolution to 150 ppi. Halving both pixel dimensions and the ppi keeps the page size the same while storing fewer pixels.

For the practice photo, the PDF fell from about 1.50 MB to 0.51 MB. Fine detail is reduced, so inspect the smaller copy before using it.

Print resolution 150 ppi, Resize output checked, Width 768 px and Height 512 px, with all four whole controls ringed
Half the pixel width and half the ppi keep this PDF’s page size unchanged.

What to do next

Image-to-PDF conversion: questions and answers

Can I convert a JPG or PNG to PDF?

Yes. In Lil Cactus, open the JPG or PNG, then choose File › Export › PDF… Set the output name and print resolution, then click Export.

Does the PDF keep editable layers and text?

No. Lil Cactus flattens the visible design into an image inside the PDF, including text layers. Use File › Save As › Lil Cactus Project… when you want to keep editable layers and text.

Why is my PDF page so large?

In Lil Cactus, the PDF page size is the image’s pixel width and height divided by Print resolution, which starts at the image’s own resolution, often 72 ppi. Set it to 300 ppi for a print-sized page: a 1536 px-wide image becomes about 13.0 cm wide instead of 54.2 cm.

Does setting 300 ppi add detail to my image?

No. In Lil Cactus, changing Print resolution alone changes the PDF’s physical page size. It does not add pixels or recover missing detail.

Why is the PDF bigger than my JPG?

Lil Cactus uses lossless compression for the flattened image in a PDF. That file can be larger than the original JPEG. Use Resize output in the PDF export dialog when fewer pixels are acceptable.

Is my image uploaded when I convert it to PDF?

No. Lil Cactus makes the PDF in your browser and downloads it to your device; the image is not sent to a server. Optional usage statistics are described on the privacy page.

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